A flour-barrel stood in the centre of the floor, closely covered. August removed the cover, and lifted up a piece of carpet. His mother looked in. Within the barrel was suspended a large, deep pan, resting on three iron cleats. This pan was partly filled with hot water, and floating on the water was another pan--a shallow one--which contained a layer of sand an inch deep. Over this was spread a piece of linen cloth, and in the cloth thirty-six large Brahma eggs lay closely packed. In the center stood a neat thermometer. [Illustration: THE INCUBATOR.] "You have made your arrangements very neatly, August," said mamma. "Of course I do not understand them exactly." "Well, you see, mamma, this shallow pan gets its heat from the water beneath it. I put that in hot, and keep it just right with this lamp." Saying which, he knelt in front of the barrel, and opened a neat little door, fitted with a brass knob and hinges. Stooping down and looking in, his mother saw on a tall flower-pot, which stood upside down, a naptha safety-lamp sending forth a small, steady flame. "That keeps the temperature about equable;" said August, "but I have another lamp, larger than this, to use in case my incubator grows too cool." "When did you set them?" asked mamma. "This morning." "To-day is the first of March: then if no accident happens, and the eggs are good, you expect them to hatch on the twenty-first?" "Yes, mamma, and the eggs are all right because I told Grandma I wanted some _very_ fresh, and she saved them for me." "Did Grandma know of your experiment?" "Oh! no, mamma. Not a soul but you knows about it; and I want you to keep the secret until we know how it will turn out." "Very well!" said mamma; "but if you lock the door you had better leave the key with me in case anything should happen. I will look at your incubator occasionally while you are at school." August gave his mother a grateful look--he felt so encouraged by her sympathy. "How warm do you keep the eggs?" she asked as he carefully replaced the carpet and cover. "Reaumur says at 32 deg., that is about 103 1-2 Fahrenheit.[A]" "Must the eggs be kept at that temperature all the time?" "No, only through the first week. The second it is a little less and the third still less." "There is the luncheon-bell, dear; we must go down or the children will be trooping up here. I hope, my boy, that you will succeed." "If I don't I shall try again," said August. Then, taking a final look to see that the thermometer and lamp were all right, he locked the room and they went down. He paid several visits to the attic during the day and evening, finding on each occasion that all worked well and steadily. Before going to bed he refilled the lamp, so the supply of naptha shouldn't be exhausted; then he went to sleep and dreamed all night of eggs and chickens.